Coal-separating machine



(No Model.)

M. DAVIS, Jr. COAL SEPARATING MACHINE.

Patented sept. 21, 1897'l 1n: MORRIS Pneus :0.2 wam-um UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. A

MORGAN DAVIS, JR., OF SCRANTON, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF `TO CHARLES D. SANDERSON, OFlTHROOP, PENNSYLVANIA.

COALfSEPARATING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 590,538, dated September 21, 1897. Application tiled May 17, 1.897. Serial No. 636,947. (No model.)

of Pennsylvania, have invented new and use-.

ful Improvements in Coal-Separating Machines, of which the following is a specification.

The chief object of the present invention is to provide anew and improved machine which is simple, efficient, and economical and possesses such mechanical construction that coal by preference previously graded can be continuously passed therethrough and in its passage be thoroughly separated from slate, iinegrained rock, or shale or other foreign substances, thus placing t-he coal in a clean condition.

I will specifically describe my invention with reference to cleaning or separating coal, but desire it clearly understood that I do not connue myself to any particular use of the machine, as it may be employed to clean or separate many products other than coal or any two substances whichrdiffer in specific gravity.

in suspension in one of the chambers, while' the substance of greater specific gravity descends through theV contracted passage-way into the other chamber, thus separating one substance from another.y

The invention also consists in the features of construction and in theV combination or arrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a vertical central sectional view of a machine embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same, and Fig'. 3

is a transverse vertical sectional view taken on the line 3 3, Fig. 1. v

In order to enable those skilled iu the art to make and use my invention, I will now describe the same in detail, referring to the drawings, ,wherein The numerals 1 and 2 indicate two substantially horizontal chambers which are preferably composed of hollow cylinders, one surmounting the other and the whole forming a casing which is divided vertically into two equal halves or sections designed to be securely bolted together by bolts passing through bolt-holes, as at 4, Fig. 1. The cylinder composing the upper chamber 1 is surmounted at one end by a cylindrical forcefeed chamber 5, formed by a short cylinder preferably made integral withthe parts cornposing the divided casing.

The bottom Wall portion of the lower chamber 2 is constructed with` an air-inlet composed, as here shown, of numerous orifices or perforations 6, beneath which is arranged an air-distributing chamber 7, having communication in any suitable manner with an airforcing apparatus 8. As here shown, the central portion of the wall of the air-distributing chamber 7 is connected to or coupled with one end of an air-trunk 9, the other end of which communicates with an air-blast fan of any class or type suitablevfor the purpose in hand. The air-chamber 7 contains a series of air defiecting or distributing plates 10, by which the air-blast entering `the chamber 7 is in a measure obstructedand portions diverted laterally for the purpose of distributing the air in the chamber and causing it to rush upward through all, or nearly all, of the numerous perforations 6. VThe top portion of the wall of the upper chamber 1 is constructed with an air-outlet composed, as here shown, of numerous orifices or perforations 12, disposed along the length of the wall of the chamber substantially the same extent that the air-inlet orifices or perforations 6 are disposed along the length of the wall of the lower chamber. The upper and lower chambers are placed in communication with each other approximately or nearly their entire length through the medium of a contracted passageway formed by a longitudinal slot 13, pro- IOO vided in a dividingwall between the two cylinders which form the chambers. The width of the contracted passage-way is susceptible of' being increased or diminished by adjusting two opposite plates 14 and 15 relatively to one another. These plates are practically fiat and are inserted through suitable horizontal recesses formed in the casing, as will be understood by reference to Fig. 3. The length of the plates is substantially the same as the length of the contracted passage-way. The plates may be adjusted in any suitable manner, but as here shown the adjustment is effected through the medium of set-bolts 16 and 17, engaged with the casing and bearing at their inner ends against the plates, so that by loosening the set-bolts the two plates can be moved toward or away from one a-nother and then be rigidly secured in their adjusted position by tightening the said bolts.

The upper chamber 1 is provided with an internal conveyer composed, as here shown, of a horizontal shaft 18, journaled in bearings 19 and having` an attached helical blade 20, running continuously the fulllength of the chamber, or approximately so. The lower chamber 2 is provided internally with a conveyer also composed, as here shown, of a horizontal shaft 21, journaled in bearings 22 and constructed with a continuous helical blade 23, running substantially the ful-l length of the chamber.

The two shafts 18 and 21 are geared'v to'- gether at one endthrough the medium of two gear-Wheels 24 and 25 of'equal diameter, and

lone of the shaftswfor instance, the shaft 21- carries a belt-pulley 26, by which the shaft is rotated, thereby rotating the other shaft at the same speed. As the two shafts 18 and 21 are geared together by the two gear-wheels 24 andi 25, the helical blades 20'and 2'3 are ca-used to rotate in reverse directions.

The feed-chamber 5 contains a force-feeding device composed, as here shown, of a helicalblade 27, attachedY to a shaft 28, having at one end a gear-wheel 29, driven by the gear-wheel 24.

The helical blade 27 is of a diameter considerably less than the diameters of the helical blades 2O and 23, so that the proper quantity of coal, material, or substance will be fed into the machine without liability of overcrowding the capacity of the helical blade or spiralfconveyer contained in the upper cham-V ber 1. The coal to be separated is delivered to the force-feed device in any suitable manner, and by this device is gradually delivered toa passage 30, leading into one end vofthe upper chamber, which latter has at its opposite end a discharge-outlet 31", provided with a chute 32. The chamber 2 is provided at one end with a delivery orifice or passage 33 for the discharge of theV impurities or foreign substances separated from the coal, as will hereinafter appear.

Inv practice the air-forcin g appara-tus or pea, buckwheat, and the like.

blast-fan 8 delivers a powerful blast of air into the air-distributing chamber 7, and this air rushes vertically through the two charnbers 1 and 2 by means of the orifices or perforations 6, contracted passageway 13, and outlet orifices or perforations 12. The coal introduced into one end of the upper or coal chamber 1 is moved longitudinally by the action of the helical blade or spiral conveyer 20. The coal is practically held in suspension yby the air-blast, and the slate, finegrained rock or shale, or other substance comparatively heavy will fall through the contracted passage-way 13 into the lower or slate chamber 2 and will be moved by the helical `blade or spiral conveyer 23'to the deliveryoutlet 33. The coal held in suspension in the upper or coal chamber is moved by the helical blade or spiral conveyer 2O to the outlet 31, through which it passes onto the chute 32.

Where my improved' machine is used for separating or cleaning coal, the latter should first be graded into various commercial sizessuch, for instance, as egg, stove, chestnut, After being graded the coal, with the sla-te or shale it contains, is delivered to the machine and acted upon in the manner hereinbefore described.

The variation in the width of the contracted passage-way 13, rendered possible by the adjustable plates 14 and 15, enables the machine to be used for separating or cleaning coalr of any of the commercial sizes above referred to.

The supporting-frame of my improved machine may be of any construction suitable :for the purpose in hand, and therefore I do not deem it necessary to explain the samei detail.

The machine is particularly designed for separating coal from slate, fine-grained rock, or shale and all other impurities, but it is useful for manyother purposes not necessary to specifically mention. To facilitate the flow of the air upward through the bottom of the slate-chamber, it is desirable to provide narrow longitudinal slits 34 in addition to the inlet-perforations 6 in the wall of the chamber,thus lessening the resistance offered to the passage of the air.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. The combination of a casing'havin g two chambers, and a contracted intervening passage-way by which the two chambers communicate along their length, one of the chambers having an airinlet and the, other an airoutlet, conveyers arranged in the chambers and operating to move the substances within the chambers longitudinally thereof, and means for forcing air through said air inlet and outlet for the purpose of holding the substance of less specific gravity in suspension in one of the chambers while the substance of greater specific gravity descends IOO IIO

through the contracted passage-way into the other chamber, substantially as and for the purposes described.

2. The combination of .a casing having two substantially horizontal chambers, and an intervening longitudinal slot by which the two cham bers communicate along their length, one chamber having airinlet perforations in its lower side and the other airoutlet perforations in its upper side, conveyers arranged in the chambers and operating to move the substances within the chambers longitudinally thereof, and an air-blast apparatus communicating with the perforations in the under side of the lower chamber for the purpose of holding the substance of less specific gravity in suspension in the upper chamber, while the substance of greater specific gravity descends through the longitudinal-slot into the lower chamber, substantially as and for the purposes described.

3. The combination of a casing having two substantially horizontal chambers, and a longitudinal slot by which the two chambers communicate along their length, one of the chambers having an air-inlet and the other an airoutlet, means for varying the width of the slot, conveyers arranged in the chambers and operating to move the substances within the chambers longitudinally thereof inopposite directions, and an air-blast apparatus communicating with the air-inlet for forcing air through the two chambers, substantially as and for the purposes described.

et. The combination of a casing having two substantially horizontal chambers, and an intervening longitudinal slot by which the two chambers communicate along their length, the lower chamber having air-inlet orifices and an air-distributing chamber at its bottom portion, and the upper chamber having airoutlet orifices in its top portion, conveyers arranged in the chambers and operating to move the substances within the chambers longitudinally thereof, and means for forcing air through the said air inlet and outlet orifices, substantially as and for the purposes described.l A

5. The combination, in a coal-separating machine, of a slate-chamber having air-inlet perforations in its bottom portion, an air-distributing chamber below the air-inlet perfo-- coal-chamber into the slate-chamber, conveyers, arranged', respectively, in said chambers, and operating to move the coal and the slate in opposite directions therein, and an air-blast apparatus connected with the air-distributing chamber, substantially as and for the purposes described.

6. The combination, in a coal-separating machine, of a casing having two chambers and a contracted intervening passage-way by which the two chambers communicate along their length, one of the chambers having an air-inlet and the other an air-outlet, conveyers arranged in the chambers and operating to move the coal and the slate longitudinally in said chambers, an air-distributing chamber located under the said air-inlet, and means for forcing air into said air-distributing chamber upwardly through the air-inlet and the air-out-let, substantially as and for the purposes described.

7. The combination, in a coal-separating machine, of Va slate-chamber having an airinlet in its bottom portion, an air-distributing chamber located below said air-inlet and provided with internal air-distributers, a coalchamber superimposed on theslate-chamber, having an air-outlet in its top portion and communicating with the slate-chamber along the length thereof, conveyers arranged, respectively, in the said chambers and operating to move the coal and slate longitudinally in the chambers, and an air-blast apparatus connected with the air-distributing chamber, substantially as and for the purposes described.

8. The combination, in a coal-separating machine, of a slate-chamber having an airinlet in its bottom portion, an air-distributing chamber below said air-inlet, a coal-chamber superimposed on the slate-chamber, having an air-outlet in its top portion and communicating with the slate-chamber along the length thereof, conveyers arranged, respectively, in said chambers, a force-feed device for feeding the coal to the coal-chamber, and an air-blast apparatus connected with the airdistributing chamber, substantially as and for the purposes described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

MORGAN DAVIS, JR.

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